Quick Transmigration: Leisure

Chapter 368 The Runaway Princess is Forcibly Taken Away (17)

In the spring of the thirty-sixth year of Xi Jia's reign.

The entire Jilan Academy was bustling with excitement as they prepared for their trip. After being cooped up for a whole year, they were finally allowed to go out and get some fresh air.

Although this trip was still under someone else's nose, it was still better than being locked up in the yard.

and,

The estate they went to was not the one under the Fourth Prince's name, but the Mu Shi Manor owned solely by the young lady, which had fewer rules and restrictions.

Nianzhen muttered to herself as she packed her things.

That year, they helped train several maids. From beginning to end, Mr. Qiu led the selection of people, without going through the hands of the mistress Rao Ai, so they were relatively at ease using them.

Even so, the two still dared not be careless.

That year, their mistress became increasingly unpredictable, and the two of them grew up rapidly as a result. They learned all the worldly tricks that their mistress was unwilling to learn. The more they understood, the more alarmed they became.

I feel that being persuaded to run away from the wedding is something that deserves to be punished even with ten heads.

Even though she knew the second wife's intentions, her power was firmly locked in the courtyard, and she could no longer touch her mistress in the slightest.

Having been caught red-handed by the Fourth Prince, the young lady should be more sensible. However, I always feel that she is teetering on the edge of danger again.

The commotion was very small, but the young lady didn't try to avoid them too much, so they were often on edge.

therefore,

Nianzhu believes that it is not enough to just know some shady methods; one must also learn how to clean up after the prostitutes.

So, in a secluded corner unnoticed by Xia Youmi, Nianzhu and Nianzhen worked diligently, exhausting Qiu Xian and his gang's underhanded tactics and cleanup techniques to pave the way for her escape game.

At Chenshi (7-9 AM), after the routine greetings, Xia Youmi boarded the carriage, feeling completely relaxed.

The person who led the way was Xia Jiechuan, Xia's elder brother. He was responsible for taking Xia Youmi to the estate to check the safety of the environment before returning ahead of time, and would come back to pick her up a month later.

The two men beside Xia Jiechuan were guards from the Fourth Prince's residence, serving both as protection and surveillance. Driving for Xia Youmi was Zhu Cang, who had become remarkably composed since returning to the prince's residence three months prior to report.

He looked like he had been punished; his complexion was poor, and he was walking with a limp.

Xia Youmi wanted to force him to stay in bed and rest, thinking that given their familiarity, she wouldn't be worried that he would take the opportunity to cause trouble.

But this man refused, insisting on standing guard despite his illness.

Helpless, Xia Youmi could only sit with the person and occasionally give them nourishing food. Three months passed before the person regained a rosy complexion, but the increasingly strange voice could not be concealed. Xia Youmi understood, but had no right to stop it.

I can only pretend I don't understand.

But Zhu Cang himself soon realized this, and thus became even more silent.

but,

Today is not a good day to be down.

After leaving the city, several maids inside and outside began to discuss excitedly. Xia Youmi played with whatever she could get her hands on, so music filled the suburban road, with someone singing a little tune, creating a leisurely and pleasant atmosphere for quite some time.

Zhu Cang's melancholy heart was slowly soothed by the vitality of spring.

The Mushi Manor they were going to was not far from the capital, and it was the result of Xia Youmi's efforts over the past six months.

There is a treasure trove of hot springs on the outskirts of Beijing.

However, the land had been almost entirely divided up by the princes, leaving virtually no room for building another estate. But there were still some scattered borders, and if a high-ranking official was permitted to build one near a prince, it would be considered an honor.

This is also a tacit way of recruiting manpower.

For example, next to the estate belonging to the Fourth Prince, another estate was built, with the land deed belonging to the maternal family of Chunyu Huai's concubine. Ostensibly, it was because officials subordinate to him wanted to be closer to him, but in reality, it was Chunyu Huai himself who used it.

Today, it is also the place where Qi Gui is secretly developing a life-saving elixir.

Upon receiving this news, Xia Youmi personally took Niannian on a tour of the surrounding area to confirm the topographical map.

They discovered a small triangular plot of land between the fourth, fifth, and sixth princes, surrounded by mountains and forests, with guards stationed at its boundary with the three princes year-round.

But there is a small flat area in the middle, and a hot spring about the size of a bathtub.

Ordinary people wouldn't even consider such a small plot of land, especially with only one hot spring.

But it was just right for Xia Youmi.

After Steward Luo confirmed that the land was available for sale, Xia Youmi pestered Xia Ji to persuade Chunyu Huai to agree. The reason was obvious: she wanted to get closer to the Fourth Prince.

In addition, Qi Gui did not take the four guards back, but instead moved them to two cleaner and tidier cells. Apart from the freedom, the facilities were not bad. The main problem was that the dirty and messy environment would affect the drug trials, so Steward Zhang directly agreed to this reasonable request.

As long as the person doesn't escape, we will cooperate fully with the drug research.

Chunyu Huai had no reason to doubt Xia Youmi's motives for building a manor.

Moreover, she had laid the groundwork for several months, and she would definitely inspect her properties when she "quietly" went out.

He followed Manager Luo to invest and open some shops, showing a strong interest in haphazard business dealings and extreme enjoyment.

While they were still capturing related conversations every year, Xia Youmi was asked to step forward and coincidentally overhear about the hot spring resort.

From psychology to motivation, whether openly or secretly, even if Chunyu Huai had many doubts, he always backed down his bottom line in the face of outrageous behavior.

Although it is related to his current situation.

But Xia Youmi seized the opportunity and had Xia Ji, the fourth prince who had already entered the court but was disliked by everyone, torment him. In doing so, he easily obtained royal authorization.

Ordinary people can't do anything to her.

In the court,

Mother passed away.

The fourth prince was immediately overthrown by the fifth and sixth princes.

He didn't struggle much, seemingly because the loss of his mother was too much of a blow. He began to shut himself in and write poems to mourn her, or build shrines for her in various places to receive offerings.

She even dragged the fourteenth prince to drink and weep bitterly.

He often went to the village to grow flowers and farm, always looking disheartened.

Even more completely than the eldest prince, he relinquished power, as if holding power were a sin.

These appearances led the old emperor to believe that the matter of Consort Yi was orchestrated by the other princes and consorts, in order to sever the long-held desire of the fourth and fourteenth princes to find medicine for their mother.

This would cause her to collapse, lose her influence in the harem, and lose the full support of Consort Yi's maternal family.

Even the old emperor suspected that the Wang family might have been secretly bribed, which led them to do such foolish things.

They sent people to Jiangnan to investigate, and they actually uncovered some dark and murky truths.

It turns out that the families he thought he trusted were already fighting amongst themselves. The fisherman hadn't even shown himself yet, and he'd already ruined two of the princes he valued. This was no small matter.

The emperor increased his supervision of the princes and reprimanded several troublemakers.

At the same time, Chunyu Huai happened to discover a prescription while treating his mother's illness.

With some modifications, it could be applied to the old emperor. Now, the other princes were completely baffled as to how their father's spirits seemed to be improving day by day. How could they possibly wait for their father to pass away naturally?

What's even more infuriating is that the fourth prince doesn't attend court, yet he still receives the rewards and tributes he's entitled to.

The battle that should have started between the fifth and sixth brothers was extinguished when they joined forces again to target the fourth brother.

They even mocked Xia Youmi in front of her! How could she tolerate that? She had to put on an impromptu performance!